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TEEN GANGS FACE CLIPS ROUND EAR!
Sonic technology is latest weapon to tackle nuisance youths
EAR-SPLITTING sound technology is set to be used for the first time as the latest weapon aimed at tackling gangs of nuisance youths.
The Sonic Teenager Deterrent – or Mosquito – sends out a sharp resonating sound that can be heard only by teenagers and those in their early 20s.
The device is being used by police and Islington council to tackle nuisance and rowdy behaviour on the Palmers estate off Tufnel Park Road.
The machine has been attached to a wall at Longley House – where gangs of teens regularly gather – and projects a controlled 80-decibel pulsing frequency, which “irritates” younger ears but leaves older ones unaffected.
However, while police and council officials maintain it forces youth to move along, local residents described it as a “gimmick” that doesn’t solve the problem.
Safer Neighbourhood police chief Sgt Andy Henthorn said: “It’s a short-term measure which we used where the youths were gathering. It’s just one tool we have for dispersal and we believe it did have an impact.
“When we had a problem with a particular band of youths hanging around a shop or block of flats, for example, we put up a mosquito nearby. It’s a fairly small radius of noise and you put it on for about 20 minutes at a time.
“The young people hear an irritating noise and simply move away.”
Tenants have been battling against anti-social behaviour and intimidation from youths on the estate for a number of years.
Incidents include drug use, littering and spitting. Dog fighting had become a daily problem with many trouble-makers coming from elsewhere.
Ernie Hall, chairman of the Palmers Tenants Association, said that the sound device only worked when it was switched on.
“Of course, you can’t keep it on all the time because that would upset well-behaved young people who live nearby,” he said.
“I’m afraid this is just a gimmick and cannot be a substitute for good old-fashioned local policing. I’m not saying you don’t see police on the estate, you do, but not nearly enough and not at times when they are needed like when these youths start gathering.”
The Mosquito works on the fact that from our mid to late 20s, the human ear experiences a big drop in its ability to hear upper-frequency sounds.
The unassuming black box is mounted on a wall in a casing similar to that of a halogen security light. Placed outside shops or flats, it has proved to be effective in dispersing children who cannot stand the noise.
An action team was set up to tackle youth crime on the estate, involving representatives of the police, Islington and Camden councils, the Palmers Tenants Association, and nearby Acland Burghley School.
Security has been strengthened on the estate but young people still gather at various times, according to residents.
Labour councillor Janet Burgess said she had not seen the Mosquito in action but understood that it had been effective.
She said: “I think there was a bit of a problem with it to begin with and it had to be sent back to the manufacturers.
“But now it seems to work very well.
“Obviously it’s not the only tool to deal with the problem of anti-social behaviour. And I sympathise with the residents who feel it is not entirely effective.
“But I believe the police should be congratulated. They have done a lot of work on the estate and it is really paying off. And there have also been a lot of environmental improvements.” |
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